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In Memoriam: Norman Bertram Van Koughnett, formerly of Framemakers, Hinsdale, Ill.

Sheila Pursglove

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Norman Van Koughnett, former PPFA member, died peacefully on April 3, 2014, in Plainfield, Ill. Norm was head of the art department at Lyons Township High School in La Grange, Ill., before opening an art gallery in nearby Hinsdale in the late 1960s, the Five Arts Gallery. The gallery eventually evolved into a picture framing business in Hinsdale called the Framemakers.

In 1978, Norm was one of six framers nationwide selected by the PPFA to form a guild for professional framers and design the Certified Picture Framer (CPF) exam.

He had several articles published in trade magazines and his shop was featured in many newspapers over the years. He was also involved in numerous community art events in the Chicagoland area, judging local art shows, serving as president of the La Grange Art League in the 1960s, and supporting the Hinsdale Center for the Arts.

Born in Detroit in 1928, Norm graduated from the University of Illinois in 1950, where he met the love of his life and future wife Jean Louise Prather. He earned an M.S. in art education from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1965 and taught at the School of the Art Institute in the 1960s and early 1970s. After retirement, he worked on set design and construction for local theatre productions.

Norm is survived by his wife of 66 years, Jean; siblings Rosalie Blackett, Gladwin, MI; Pat Hall, Royal Oak, MI; and six children: Leslie Sue Rindler (Michael), Southwest Harbor, ME; Scott Van Koughnett, Minneapolis; Dirk Van Koughnett (Kathy Erwin), Chicago; Amy Szwaya (Robert), Round Lake, IL; Lida Chikos (James), Phoenix, AZ; and Hale Van Koughnett (Diane), Quebec City, Canada; and 15 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a brother, Bertram.

Friends and family recall that Norm was always a teacher: as a child when he showed his siblings how to do things around the house; in his career as a high school instructor; and as a picture framer, when he took the time to explain to customers how they should properly treat their art work.

In 1991, Norm was a founding member of the Hinsdale-Gateway Rotary Club. One of his proudest moments was traveling with Rotary volunteers to Oaxaca, Mexico, in 1994 to build an irrigation system for the Mixtec Indians. He also enjoyed working with the Menominee Indians near Green Bay over the years, helping raise money for tribal schools and attending pow-wows. Traveling with Jean across the U.S. and to several foreign countries, the couple always sought out interesting works of art for their collection.

A private service for family will be held this summer at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Ill. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at 847-933-2413 or online at https://www.alzheimers-illinois.org/donate_online/.
 
"In 1978, Norm was one of six framers nationwide selected by the PPFA to form a guild for professional framers and design the Certified Picture Framer (CPF) exam. "

Without the "guild" these 6 framers formed there would be no CPF or MCPF or an accurate way of communicating framing ideas and designs without pictures of everything. The first thing these people had to do was come up with a picture framing vocabulary. If you think "boundaries" are getting a discussion, you should have seen the problem they had just naming a double mat. A very important foundation block to our industry. Thank you, Norm.
 
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